Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon The Spice King All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 pound dried small red beans, picked over and rinsed
- 1 large smoked ham hock
- 1 smoked pigtail
- 1 small piece of smoked neckbone
- 4 strips smoked bacon
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 green onions, green part only, chopped, plus more for garnish
- Red pepper sauce
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 2 andouille sausages, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups cooked white rice
Directions
- Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator.
- In a large heavy pot, ham hocks, smoked pig tail, smoked neckbone.
- Fill pot with water (about 2 quarts) and boil until water has reduced by 1/3 about 20-30 minutes).
- Drain the beans and add beans to pot with simmering meat.
- In a separate pan, sauté bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble, and set aside.
- Sauté sliced sausage until browned in pan with bacon drippings. Remove and set aside.
- Add the onion, celery, green pepper, cayenne, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, green onions, The Spice King All Purpose Seasoning, several shakes of red pepper sauce, and liquid smoke.
- Sauté until vegetables are flagrant and soft.
- Add sautéed vegetable mixture to pot with simmering beans and meat.
- Simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 1/2 hours. (You want the beans to be almost overcooked, like they are getting ready to burst.)
- Stir the beans occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.
- Add about 1 cup of water toward the end of cooking if the mixture appears too thick or dry.
- Mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon (this makes the broth thick and creamy).
- Toss in the sausages and cook for another 15 minutes to heat them through.
- Adjust the seasoning with The Spice King All Purpose Seasoning, if needed.
- Serve the red beans in a wide bowl over steamed white rice, garnished with chopped green onion and crisp bacon bits.